Palm oil as an agricultural commodity plays an important role in the development of the Indonesian economy, considering it in producing vegetable oil. Policies for developing new and renewable energy in Indonesia aims to encourage the optimization of the use of biofuels from oil palm. This policy still raises pros and cons, so that analysis needs to be carried out through an environmental science perspective. This study aims to assess the sustainability of palm oil (CPO) as a basic material for making biodiesel from environmental, social, and economic aspects, as well as to provide recommendations on a sustainable palm oil biodiesel policy strategy. The method used is a qualitative analysis. Descriptive analysis of supporting literature is used to assess environmental, social, and economic aspects of palm oil-based biodiesel sustainability in Indonesia. The use of biodiesel in the country is expected to be sustainable in line with the stipulation of the mandatory biodiesel of 30 percent (B30) in 2019 by the Government as a substitute for fuel mixture. It was found that there are advantages to using palm oil-based biodiesel compared to other vegetable oils. Palm oil-based biodiesel can be produced in a sustainable manner.

Climate change causes various events, such as El Niño , and we experience their larger frequency. This study based on a quantitative approach uses observation data from the Umbu Mehang Kunda Meteorological Station and the Ocean Niño Index ( ONI). As a result, East Sumba, which has an arid climate, has more challenges in dealing with drought and water deficits during El Niño. This study identifies rainfall when the El Niño phenomenon takes place in East Sumba through data contributing to the ONI value and dry day series from 1982 to 2019. The analysis was carried out by reviewing these data descriptively and supported by previous literature studies. The research found that there was a decrease in the accumulative total rainfall in El Niño years. The annual rainfall in the last six El Niño events is lower than the annual rainfall in the first six El Niño events. The dry day series is dominated by an extreme drought (>60 days) which generally occurs from July to October. This drought clearly has a major impact on livelihoods and causes difficulties in agriculture as well as access to freshwater. This results in crop failure, food shortages, and decreased income. The phenomenon triggers price inflation in the market and potential increase in poverty, hunger, and pushes the country further away from the first and second Sustainable Development Goals. This phenomenon and problems related to it need to be dealt with by multistakeholders.

Climate variability and change that affect extreme weather events has resulted long dry season and drought in Indonesia. Farmers become a vulnerable group since drought has damaged rice fields and as consequence losing their income. Therefore, rice farmers’ livelihood resilience needs to be enhanced in order to cope with those impacts. Crop insurance as financial capital could contribute to famers’ income stability from drought. Moreover, self-organization helps the farmers to understand agricultural risks and increase their adaptive capacity in times of extreme weather events. Accordingly, this paper investigate the impact of drought on rice production and farmers’ income, analyze the benefits of crop insurance and the support of self-organization to enhance livelihood resilience with a case of Kapetakan Sub-district in Cirebon Regency, Indonesia. The study employed mixed-methods by combining qualitative and quantitative data based on official data from government, in-depth interview, and literature review. The study reveals drought, for instance El Nino’s drought in 2015, has resulted in lower rice production and farmers’ income compared to 2014. Crop insurance could increase farmers’ income as compensation due to drought, nonetheless, there have been many farmers who do not have crop insurance yet. Moreover, self-organization related to the network capacity of farmers tends to be limited within farmer groups at village level. The government or other stakeholders should assist to expand the network of farmers in order to interact and learn with other organizations outside the region. Thus, knowledge and skills of farmers which inlude related to benefits of crop insurance and how to manage it will increase in order to choose adaptation option. This condition will contribute to enhance livelihood resilience of farmers to recover from extreme weather events.

Fish aquaculture using floating net cages is a common way to utilize water body, which often caused water pollution. Lake Cilala is a lake with high trophic level in Bogor Regency, West Java, that used for fish farming activities. Historically, eutrophication events that have occurred at Lake Cilala made this research interesting to see the effect of fisheries activities on water quality. This research analyses pH, phosphate, nitrate, and BOD and their effect on water quality, with criterion is based on Indonesia Government Regulation No. 82 of 2001 (Class II). Water sampling is conducted using a grab sampling method at the lake and then tested in a laboratory. Analysis of the effect of the parameters tested on water quality was carried out by a literature study. Results indicate that water quality is in poor condition due to fish aquaculture activities. The concentration of nitrate and BOD were found to be 4,21 mg/L and 8,20 mg/L, which determined the pollution of Lake Cilala. Without any proper management, these pollutants can increase to a certain level, causing more troubles like eutrophication. The right strategy needed in managing fish aquaculture using floating net cages to maintain the water quality of Lake Cilala.

In recent decades, water resources shrink at an alarming rate in some areas both nationally and internationally. Water resources are directly proportional to the growth in human population. The higher demand for settlement and agriculture are considered to be important factors responsible for the degradation in water quality and resource functions. The aim of this study was to analyze the diversity of vegetation in the water resources area, as well as the level of human participation in the conservation efforts. The study was conducted using a mixed method based on observation and interviews of the local community. The plant diversity in the study area, Dandang water resource, consisted of medium category tree habitus (h'= 1.42); bush habitus (h'= 1.61); and herb habitus (h'= 2.29), there are 27 species from 15 families comprising 9 trees, 6 bushes, and 12 herbs. The level of human participation is still at the whim with limited operational support strength (0.80%). The social capital including communications between parties and organizing resources is a sufficient advantage (58%). However, the involvement of community and village governments in the conservation efforts is still weak (38%). The situation is aggravated by the lack of policies and regulations implemented by the village government (38%). Policy interventions and regulations are important, along with socialization and mentoring programs for the conservation of Dandang water resource area.

The Kampar Peninsula, spanning approximately 735,091 hectares, is critical for its carbon reserves and biodiversity, including the endangered Sumatran tiger. However, nearly half of the 4 million hectares of peat swamp in the region is deforested, drained, decomposing, or burning, largely due to settlements and development projects. This research employs a mixed-method approach, using quantitative spatial analysis of Landsat imagery from 1990 to 2020 based on the Spectral Mixture Analysis (SMA) model to detect forest disturbances and classify land cover changes, utilizing the Normalized Difference Fraction Index (NDFI). Ground truthing validates the image interpretation with field conditions. Additionally, qualitative analysis through interviews and regulatory review examines spatial change trends, context, and driving factors. The result showed, over 30 years, that natural forest in the Kampar Peninsula decreased significantly from 723,895.30 hectares in 1990 to 433,395.20 hectares in 2020. The primary factors driving land use changes include the construction of access roads by oil companies in 1975, leading to extensive deforestation, and government policies during the New Order period that issued forest exploitation concessions and promoted transmigration programs, resulting in widespread establishment of oil palm and acacia plantations.